We can help you to produce your neighbourhood plan by:
- Providing you with advice and support at all stages of the process until the successful adoption of your plan
- Help you write the policies for your neighbourhood plan
- Help with evidence and data
- Give you access to mapping services and direct you to our neighbourhood plan guidance
- Answer your questions about preparing a neighbourhood plan. Email us at neighbourhoodplanning@cornwall.gov.uk
Your neighbourhood plan should support sustainable development by considering social, economic and environmental issues relevant to your local area and setting out the type of development that is supported by local people.
How do you show everyone you have listened to local people's views?
Communicating with a wide range of people is one of the most important parts of the plan making process. This ensures that the policies in your plan reflect the views of local people so that they will support it at referendum.
As part of the plan making process, you will need to:
- Communicate regularly with local people to understand their hopes and ambitions for the local area
- Understand how they want their neighbourhood to evolve and the types of new development that will help to realise that vision
These guide notes can help you to develop a solid engagement strategy:
Locality Engaging with your community in a meaningful way
Communication and engagement guide note
- If you are planning some new green space in your area, this useful video explains why you need to think about the different needs of different people to make sure that you end up with safe, useable and welcoming spaces that work for all people across a range of ages
Including young people when designing community spaces video
- We have produced an initial survey template that can be edited to suit your needs. Adapt this and use it to get initial feedback from your area to make sure that you understand their concerns and ambitions for the future
How do you draft your neighbourhood plan?
- Gather data and evidence on your neighbourhood plan area (social, economic and environmental)
- Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of your places
- Develop a strong vision and a set of objectives
- Draft planning policies to help you achieve the visions and objectives of the neighbourhood plan. We have created a new example neighbourhood plan template for you. This gives a suggested structure for neighbourhood plans. It sets out some of the key issues your neighbourhood plan will need to consider. We can help you with drafting your policies - focus setting out what you want them to achieve
- All polices must be in general conformity with the policies of the local development plans: the Cornwall Local Plan, the Climate Emergency DPD and the Site Allocations DPD
- Your neighbourhood plan must not contain policies that would mean less housing is proposed in your neighbourhood area if the neighbourhood plan were not in force (ukpgacvr_20230055_en.indd (legislation.gov.uk) para 99(3)(a)).
- Publicise the draft neighbourhood plan to people who live, work and run businesses in the area.
- Update the plan based on the feedback that you receive
Do you need a Strategic Environment Assessment?
We will screen your draft neighbourhood plan to assess whether you need a strategic environmental assessment. This check will confirm whether the development supported in your neighbourhood plan could have significant environmental effects. If your neighbourhood plan does need strategic environment assessment, funding is usually available to carry out his work but it may add time to the process.
Understand if your plan requires a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulation Assessment guide note
Where can you find other neighbourhood plans?
You can view other neighbourhood plans across Cornwall on the following page: